Date: 2016-07-31

Across strata of education, the vantage position the university is placed cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand. In this piece, Ahmed 'Lateef writes on what appears like a tall dream for the proposed Muhammad Kamaldeen University, Ilorin,

When late Sheik Muhammad Kamaldeen Habeebullahi Al-Adabby returned from Al-Azhar University, Cairo, capital of Egypt years ago with cheering news that he had been given the right to replicate the same school in Ilorin, albeit at basic level, it was a dream come true.

The joy that accompanied the unanticipated news knew no bound as followers, disciples and students of the revered scholars expressed delight at the level in which the erudition of the late scholar had attained.

Without being immodest, conferring privilege on an individual to establish a school by an ancient varsity could be received with disbelief on account of the position of the university in the global ranking of the ivory towers.

Shortly after the cheering news, the journey to put structures in place for the school began in earnest leading to the world renowned Islamic scholar citing the basic institution in Ogidi, a suburb of Ilorin, Kwara State capital.

As the good performance of the school manifested with the report reaching Al-Azhar University, the late famous cleric with uncanny sense of scholarship received a directive from the authorities of the institution to transform the school to Junior Secondary and in quick succession, it moved to the secondary school status.

This was in addition to other institutions the late Islamic cleric established in Ilorin, Lagos and in other big cities which he also busied himself with.

After a while, the authorities of the Egypitian country university dispatched a delegation to convey a message to the late Kamaldeen Al-Adabby that the institution, which started as a primary school has been approved for elevation into a degree awarding institution.

For followers of Al-Adabby, it was a rare privilege and joy that the institution, a faith based in outlook, would eventually metamorphose into the apex citadel of learning.

In the bid to bring the lofty dream to fruition, the race for mobilization of fund and resources commenced since it remained an arduous task to establish a university.

Unfortunately, it was still in the pursuit of this dream that the late scholar breathed his last some years ago. The demise of Kamaldeen Al-Adabby shook Ilorin to its foundation.

Ever since his death, the journey to birth the university has turned to be tortuous for the Muhammad Kamaldeen Foundation, which solely took over the responsibility of seeing the university to its smooth take-off. The foundation had since embroiled in paucity of fund to build key infrastructures on the campus.

Beside lean resources within its disposal, the foundation is also contending with the prerequisites of the National Universities Commission (NUC), which the Kamaldeen University is yet to meet. Meeting the preconditions would only see the proposed institution through its present embryonic stage.

The preconditions set by the NUC, a federal government commission with statutory mandate to supervise universities in the country included having a sum of N200million in the proposed University's bank account, motor able road network, drinkable water, library, laboratories, hostel accommodations and sporting facilities among others.

Part of the preconditions also required for the institution was for it to employ prospective scholars and experts internally and not from outside.

One thing that would however seem surprising was that building of the proposed Kamaldeen university was on before the establishment of NUC.

It was part of the moves to see the university through its fruition that prompted the president of the senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, to visit the proposed institution last Sunday evening.

He was in company of retinue of aides including chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Education, Senator Jibril Barau and his counterpart on Senate Rules and Business, Senator Baba Kaka.

Speaking during the visit, Saraki said he was visiting the site of the institution for the first time and the motive was to see the journey so far.

He also stated that he was on the campus of the university to build confidence of the committee in charge, saying "Insha Allah it will come to true".

The senate president, who urged the committee not to be frustrated in view of the delay the institution had suffered in its take-off, assured that he would in company of other well to do individuals and institutions play their roles to see to the completion of the university.

He also reiterated that he would offer the needed support to the committee while the institution would be commissioned very soon, adding that it was his utmost desire that the dream of the late sage and scholar, Kamaldeen Al-Adabby did not perish.

"It is in my interest, our interest and interest of all of us to see the development of our tertiary education, and this has been a university (kamaldeen) that has been in a process for awhile. I think it is our responsibility to bring it to conclusion so that it becomes a fully fledged university.

"And the challenges it has is for me to have a first time look on what are the issues, whether they have to do with enough resources, to be able to mobilize resources within our state by friends, lovers of education and friends of Ilorin and Kwara State in general.

"And also if there are regulatory issues and of course institutional issues, to see what we can play and ensure that for the sake of our students this university fully takes off. And being here, I believe we will do our best to see that we come back very soon to see that the dream of Sheik Kamaldeen becomes a reality", Saraki said.

Chairman, Kamaldeen Foundation, retired Justice Mutalib Ambali, who spoke when the senate president visited, said the take-off of the proposed university was being delayed due to inability to meet the prerequisites set by the NUC.

Ambali, the erstwhile Grand Khadi of Kwara State Sharia Court of Appeal identified paucity of fund as largely responsible for the failure to meet the NUC conditions to commence academic activities in the institution.

The Kamaldeen Foundation chairman said the foundation under his leadership was banking on the goodwill of well to do philanthropists to raise fund for the university take-off.

Ambali, who traced the history of the institution named after the founder of Al-Adabby, late Sheik Habeebulahi Kamaldeen Al-Adabby, said it began as Al-Azhar primary school, metamorphosed into secondary before the resolution to make it an ivory tower was arrived at.

He stated that the varsity was conceived before the establishment of NUC, adding that one of the conditions listed was for the institution to have a deposit of N200million in its account.

Describing the visit of the senate president as unexpected, the ex-Kwara Grand Khadi said the foundation was impressed by the bold step taken by Saraki.

He urged the senate president to use his influence and connections to bring the dream of the founder to fruition.

"This visit is most impressive and most unexpected. May I inform you that the history of Kamaldeen University began before the establishment of National Universities Commission.

"The reason why the university has not taken off was our inability to meet the prerequisites set by the NUC, and this was caused by unavailability of fund.

"But with your (senate president) visit today, we are sure of goodwill of men and women to raise fund. We rely on people like you to realise the dream of Kamaldeen University.

"Before we can take off, NUC asked us to provide some infrastructures including water, road, power supply, library, sporting facilities, hostel accommodation, laboratories and ICT facilities among others", Ambali said.

In attendance during the visit were Speaker, KWHA, Dr Ali Ahmad; Khalifa Li Adabby, Sheik Ahmad Olayiwola Kamaldeen; National Missioner of Ansarul Islam, Sheik Abdulmumin Ayara; commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development in Kwara State, Alhaji Musa Yeketi; his Women Affairs counterpart, Hajia Asiata Ayinke Saka; and Director General, Saraki Mandate Office, Alhaji Abdulwahab Issa among others.